Sewing machine with hook and eye attachment



Sept. 8, 1 w. SlMPSON 3,147,719

SEWING MACHINE WITH HOOK AND EYE ATTACHMENT Filed Jan. 16, 1962- 4Sheets-Sheet 1 M IAOQ Sept. 8, 1964 w. SIMPSON 3,147,719

SEWING MACHINE WITH HOOK AND EYE ATTACHMENT Filed Jan. 16, 1962 4Sheets-Sheet 5 Mlliam Jm m Haw P 8, 1964 w. SIMPSON 3,147,719

SEWING MACHINE WITH HOOK AND EYE ATTACHMENT Filed Jan. 16, 1962 4Sheets-Sheet 4 INVHVTOR:

VII/1am (QM/15" United States Patent 3,147,719 SEWING MACHINE WITH HOOKAND EYE ATTACHMENT William Simpson, Handsworth, Birmingham, England,assignor to Newey Brothers Limited, a British company Filed Jan. 16,1962, Ser. No. 166,484 Claims priority, application Great Britain Jan.21, 1%1 6 Claims. (Cl. 112--2) This invention is concerned with a sewingmachine for sewing hook tape to garments or other articles and with anattachment for a standard sewing machine enabling the machine to sewhook tape to garments or other articles.

The hook tape comprises a row of hooks attached to a length of tape andwith the wires of the bills of the hooks spaced sufficiently far apartfor a sewing machine needle to pass between them. The hook tape is sewnto the garment or other article by means of a line of stitchingextending lengthwise of the tape and intersecting the bills of the hooksnear their outer ends. These ends of the bills are curved in the usualWay so that the loops of sewing cotton or the like (hereinafter referredto for convenience as cotton) slide over the curved ends of the bills asthe stitches are formed and are pulled tight beneath the ends of thebills. The hook tape is sewn to the garment or other article in aninverted position, that is with the bills of the hooks projecting belowthe tape and with the garment or other article disposed above the tape.The sewing machine is of the standard kind comprising a pivoted rockframe carrying a needle holder which in use carries one or more needles.Each needle advances with the tape and article after it has piercedthem, and in co-operation with a feed-dog beneath the tape.

The following description and the appendent claims must be understood asrelating to the sewing of hook tape to an article with the aid of amachine and by the method described in the next preceding paragraph.

Throughout the specification and claims the sewing machine, and theattachment are described for convenience as if they are in theirpositions of use and as from the point of view of the operator. Inparticular it will be noted that the tape and garment or other articleare advanced by the machine towards the rear of the machine, that is ina direction away from the operator.

The principal object of the invention is to prevent the needle formingthe said line of stitching from striking a hook in such a way thatdamage would occur. The grazing of the side of a wire by the needle doesnot normally lead to damage, for only when the needle strikes the top ofthe wire directly is there a likelihood of the needle breaking.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent asthe description proceeds.

According to the present invention there is provided in or for a sewingmachine a feed-dog assembly comprising a feed-dog and a hook-displacingpawl.

The invention will now be more particularly described with reference tothe accompanying drawings in which: I FIGURE 1 is a side view of thedevice in accordance with the invention and as seen from the left,showing a 3,147,719 Patented Sept. 8, 1964 bly, from the same positionas FIGURE 4 but to a rather larger scale,

FIGURE 6 is a longitudinal section of the feed-dog assembly to a smallerscale, substantially along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 7,

FIGURE 7 is a cross-section of the feed-dog assembly, to the same scaleas FIGURE 6, substantially along the line 77 of FIGURE 6,

FIGURE 8 is a plan view similar to FIGURE 2 but including the presserfoot, the needles, and part of a length of tape and a garment to whichthe tape is being sewn,

FIGURE 9 is a cross-section, to a much larger scale, of the arms of theguide unit with the hook tape, but no garment, along the line 99 ofFIGURE 8,

FIGURE 10 is a longitudinal section, to the same scale as FIGURES 6 and7, of the upper part of the feed-dog assembly and the throat plate,showing the relative positions of these parts and of the hook tape andneedles just before the needles descend, and

FIGURE 11 is a view similar to FIGURE 10, but omitting the hook tape,and illustrating the relative positions of the feed-dog assembly and thethroat plate at a later stage in the sewing cycle.

The guide unit, throat plate and feed-dog assembly illustrated in theaccompanying drawings constitute an attachment for a sewing machine ofstandard construction for producing two parallellines of stiching andwhich is not illustrated as it forms no part of the present invention.The sewing machine is of the kind having twin needles 12 mounted in aneedle carrier 13 on a vertically reciprocable needle bar 14 which isalso adapted to swing back- Wards and forwards with the pivoted rockframe, the needles being lowered when in their forward position, movedbackwards, raised and moved forwards again. The needles cooperate with apresser foot 36 in the usual way. The machine also has a stationarythroat plate in the base plate beneath the needle carrier, and beneaththe throat plate a feed-dog which moves in a path of generally elipticalshape, rising and moving backwards a little as the needles descend,moving backwards with the lowered needles, descending as the needlesrise and returning to its forward position before rising again.

The guide unit illustrated is mounted in the base plate of the machinein front of the throat plate, which latter replaces the standard throatplate, and the feed-dog asguide unit for the tape, a throat plate, afeed-dog assem- H bly, a presser foot, and a needle carrier and needles,

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the guide unit, throat plate and feed-dogassembly shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a view of the feed-dog assembly from the rear, that is fromthe left of FIGURES l and 2,

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view from above the guide unit and throatplate, from a point in front of these components and to their right, thethroat plate being displaced vertically downwards from its position ofuse for clarity of disclosure,

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the feed-dog assemsembly replaces thestandard feed-dog, being secured in position by screws passing throughthe holes 15 in the bar 16 forming a rearward extension of the body ofthe assembly.

The guide unit serves to guide the hook tape and the garment, asdescribed below, and comprises a pair of parallel arms 17 and 18defining between them a channel for the hook tape. The front ends of thearms are supported by a horizontal pivot rod 19 extending betweenshoulders 26 on a pair of axially adjustable bearings 27 externallyscrew-threaded and mounted in aligned screw threaded holes in a pair ofspaced supporting blocks 20 projecting upwards from a plate 21 formingthe base of the guide unit and, when in use, flush with the base plateof the machine. A helical compression spring 22 around the rod 19between the two arms 17 and 18 tends to retain the arms in spacedrelationship, and a leaf spring 23 beneath each arm urges their freeends upwards. The extent to which the free ends of the arms can rise islimited by abutment between those parts of the arms in area, whichsurface acts as a support for the garment. The corresponding surface 29of the right-hand arm 18 is similarly inclined but is rather higher thanthe surface 28; this is illustrated in FIGURE 9. The left-hand arm 17 islonger than the right-hand arm 18 and has a relatively thin flange 30which extends from the lower part of the left-hand arm across thechannel towards the right hand arm 18, terminating a short way from thisarm. The righthand arm 18 has a corresponding flange 31 which is abovethe level of, and much narrower than, the other flange 30. A narrow gapis left between the flanges 30 and 31, and the undersurface of thenarrower flange 31 is curved downwards from its free edge to form aguide for the bills of the hooks as shown in FIGURE 9 and hereinafterdescribed. The forward end of each flange is rounded off, as shown inFIGURE 8, and extends through the gap between the pivot rod 19 and theplate 21, through which gap the hook tape passes. A sheet metal mouthassembly 32 is secured to the front faces of the blocks 20 and presentsa mouth 33 through which the hook tape passes, and an upper lip 34 and alower lip 35 to guide the tape over the front edge of the plate 21 andbeneath the spring 22.

The throat plate 37 lies beneath the rearmost part of each of the arms17 and 18. An upstanding wall 38 on the throat plate constitutes anextension of the right-hand arm 18, being aligned with this arm when thedevice is in use. The plate 37 is formed with two slots 39 and 40extending the direction of material feed. The felt-hand slot 39accommodates a toothed head of the food-dog assembly, and the right-handslot accommodates an upstanding guide forming part of this assembly,these parts being hereinafter described in detail. The left-hand arm 17and flange 30 are formed with a slot 41 aligned with the left-hand slot39 in the throat plate, but this flange 30 does not extend as far as theright-hand slot 40 in the throat plate. The slot 411 has an extension 42at its forward end which extends towards the left, and the flange 30 isnotched at 43 above this extension.

The feed-dog assembly, which replaces the standard feed-dog on themachine, comprises a body 45 of which the uppermost part to the left ofthe body, constitutes the toothed head 46 referred to above. Alongitudinal slot 47 is formed in the forward part of the head for theleft-hand needle. The upstanding guide 48, which projects through theslot 40, is constituted by the upper end of a finger 49 mounted on thebody 45 for limited pivotal movement about an axis at the lower end ofthe finger and parallel with the direction of material feed. Themounting for the finger 49 comprises a pivot screw 50.

As will be clear from FIGURES 6 and 7 the body 45 has a longitudinalgroove between the toothed head 46 and the finger .49. A bar or pawlsupport 51 is located in the groove, being pivoted at its rear end,about a horizontal axis, on a pin 52. A V-shaped spring 53, mounted on aheaded pin 54 on a forward extension 55 of the body, extends into thegroove and one limb thereof bears against a stop 56 on the body whilstthe other limb bears against the underside of the bar 51 urging theforward end of the bar upwards. A pawl 57 integral with the bar projectsupwards from the right-hand side of the bar 51, this pawl having atapered point 58 at its forward end and a cam surface 59 below the pointand nearer the rear of the machine, which surface is inclined downwardlyand rearwardly of the machine. The point 58 is normally aligned with theextension 42 of the right-hand slot 40 in the throat plate and with thenotch 43 in the flange 30, and the cam surface 59 engages the rear edge60 of the slot extension as the feed-dog assembly advances the material.

The device illustrated is used in sewing hook tape to a garment with twoparallel rows of stitching, the bills of the hooks being flush with oneedge of the tape and the wires of the bills being spaced sufiiciently toallow one of the needles 12 to pass between them. In use the hook tape61 is fed from a reel or other supply beneath the level of the baseplate, not shown, through the mouth 33 and into the channel between thearms 17 and 18 of the guide unit. The bills 62 of the hooks 63 projecton the underside of the tape and extend around the flange 30 on theleft-hand arm 17. The curved parts 64 of the hooks connecting the mainparts of the bills with the attachment portions pass beneath the flange31 which thus acts as a guide. This is shown in FIGURE 9, in whichfigure it will also be seen that the flange 30 is cut away at 65 on itsundersurface to accommodate the main parts of the bills 62. Theright-hand edge of the tape 61 abuts the inner side face of the arm 18and the garment 66 overlies the tape and is fed with its free right-handedge abutting the same face of the arm. The tape and garment advance tothe rear of the machine, in the direction indicated by the arrows 67 inFIGURES 8 and 10.

At the sewing area the aligned edges of the tape and garment abut theupstanding guide 48 which is formed with a longitudinal groove or recess68 to accommodate the curved parts 64 of the hooks, and also theupstanding wall 38 on the throat plate. As the needles start to descend,along the line 69 in FIGURE 10, the feed-dog assembly rises, therelative positions of the parts being illustrated in FIGURE 10. Thepoint 58 of the pawl 57 contacts the bill 62 of any hook in line withthe righthand needle and displaces it. As it rises the feed-dog assemblyadvances slightly towards the rear of the machine, and in performingthis movement the cam surface 53 engages the edge 60 so that the pawlremains in approximately the same place although the tape is slightlyadvanced. Thus any bill wire which was immediately to the rear of thepoint 58 and in line with the needle is moved rearwards with the tape,whilst any bill wire in front of the point 58 is prevented from movingrearwards with the tape into the path of the descending needle.

Also, as the feed-dog assembly rises, the rounded upper edge of theguide 48 strikes an inclined face of the wall 33 (see FIGURE 4)deflecting the guide 43 sideways slightly, to ensure that the guide 48is tucked in close to the bill of the hook to support the material ofthe tape as the needle penetrates it. This sideways movement is allowedby the pivoting of the member 49 on the screw 59.

After the needles have pierced the garment and the tape the latter areadvanced by the needles and feeddog assembly in unison. .During thisadvance the cam action continues and the point 58 of the pawl isdepressed below the level of the bills 62, as shown in FIGURE 11, sothat any bill held back by the. point can move forward with the tapeagain. The point remains thereafter out of the path of the hooks untilthe assembly rises again preparatory to the next descent of the needles.

The machine makes two parallel lines of stitches of equal length, theleft-hand line passing to the left of the row of hooks, in the tape, andthe right-hand line extending across the curved ends of the bills of thehooks with the needle passing between the wires of the bill of eachhook. During the formation of each of the stitches over a bill wire thebobbin cotton, that is the cotton fed from below the base plate, forms aloop which is pulled tight by sliding over the curved part 64 of thewire concerned.

Although the foregoing description with reference to the drawingsrelates largely to components forming an attachment for a standard formof sewing machine it is to be understood that it is within the scope ofthe invention to provide a sewing machine incorporating these oranalogous components initially.

I claim:

1. In a sewing machine for sewing inverted hook tape to an article andof the kind comprising a reciprocable sewing needle and needle holdersupported on a pivoted rock frame, and a cooperating feed dog; a pawlassembly comprising a hook-displacing pawl, and a pawl support, the pawlbeing fixedly supported by pawl support, and the said support beingmovably mounted on the feed dog, a stationary member in the path of thepawl assembly and engageable with the said assembly on movement of thefeed dog to cause the pawl to move relatively to the feed dog and thusto displace any hook from the path of the descending needle.

2. In the sewing machine of claim 1 wherein said pawl includes a camsurface and wherein said stationary member comprises a part of thesewing machine cooperating with said cam surface to partially restrainsaid pawl as said feed dog moves longitudinally to advance said tape andsaid article so that said pawl is adapted to engage a hook wire in thepath thereof to at least partially prevent the same from advancing withthe tape, whereby the needle pierces the tape at a position free from ahook wire.

3. In the sewing machine of claim 2 wherein said cam surface includes acamming part cooperating with said stationary member which uponcontinued advance of said feed dog effects lowering of the pawl belowthe level of the path of said hooks.

4. In the sewing machine of claim 1 wherein said sewing machine includesa throat plate and wherein said stationary member comprises a part ofsaid throat plate.

5. In the sewing machine of claim 2 including a guide for said hook tapecomprising a rigid supporting striplike member extending past the sewingarea, said member having a free longitudinal edge whereby said member isadapted to be interposed between said tape and the bills of said hooks,said member having an opening for the passage of the needle.

6. In the sewing machine of claim 1 including a guide member pivotallyfixed to said feed dog for limited rotary movement about an axisparallel to the direction of tape movement, said guide member includinga guide part extending along the path of movement of said tape and saidarticle and being engageable by said tape to guide the edge thereof intoregistry with the edge of said article.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,354,514 Seymour Oct. 5, 1920 1,603,246 Rocke Oct. 12, 1926 1,732,394Bebel Oct. 22, 1929 1,915,580 Rabinowitz June 27, 1933 2,700,351 SchaadIan. 25, 1955 2,882,846 Coates Apr. 21, 1959 2,960,945 Simpson Nov. 22,1960 3,006,294 Simpson Oct. 31, 1961

1. IN A SEWING MACHINE FOR SEWING INVERTED HOOK TAPE TO AN ARTICLE ANDOF THE KIND COMPRISING A RECIPROCABLE SEWING NEEDLE AND NEEDLE HOLDERSUPPORTED ON A PIVOTED ROCK FRAME, AND A COOPERATING FEED DOG; A PAWLASSEMBLY COMPRISING A HOOK-DISPLACING PAWL, AND A PAWL SUPPORT, THE PAWLBEING FIXEDLY SUPPORTED BY PAWL SUPPORT, AND THE SAID SUPPORT BEINGMOVABLY MOUNTED ON THE FEED DOG, A STATIONARY MEMBER IN THE PATH OF THEPAWL ASSEMBLY AND ENGAGEABLE WITH THE SAID ASSEMBLY ON MOVEMENT OF THEFEED DOG TO CAUSE THE PAWL TO MOVE RELATIVELY TO THE FEED DOG AND THUSTO DISPLACE ANY HOOK FROM THE PATH OF THE DESCENDING NEEDLE.